Building on the momentum of the third edition of Sanjeevani: United Against Cancer, a campaign jointly run by Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation, News18 Network, and knowledge partner Tata Trusts today makes a significant stride in bridging India’s urban-rural healthcare divide, the with its rural cancer screening drive in the heartlands of Alwar, Rajasthan.
In the quiet lanes of rural Alwar, where whispers about illness often hide behind closed doors, a powerful silence was broken today. Executed on the ground by CAPED, the initiative is a lifeline for thousands, offering free screening for cervical, breast, and oral cancers. For the 1.2 million people in rural Alwar, a cancer diagnosis often arrives too late, wrapped in fear and financial despair. Sanjeevani 2025 challenges this fate. It is a pledge to turn fear into hope, and awareness into tangible, life-saving action across eight states, beginning here.
This multi-state initiative aims to expand preventive cancer care into India’s heartland, with a mission to screen 4,000 individuals, including 3,000 women and 1,000 men, from marginalized communities. Spanning eight months, targeting eight high-priority states, the program will reach Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, and Jharkhand. Beginning in Alwar, Rajasthan.
The true heart of this initiative hinges on a deep, community-centric approach of its over 50 ASHA workers, local women, trusted neighbors, now trained as guardians of health to act as the critical link, building trust and dismantling deep-seated stigma through door-to-door mobilization. Their grassroots presence is vital to driving awareness on the risks, symptoms, and prevention of cancer in regions where healthcare access is scarce and misinformation is prevalent. They are the bridge between ancient fears and modern hope.
In the vulnerable heartlands where silence around cancer is born from fear and futility, this initiative is built on a profound covenant of companionship, walking hand-in-hand with individuals every step of the way. It begins with Awareness—trusted local ASHA workers going door-to-door, replacing deeply held dread with empowering knowledge through gentle, human conversations that dismantle generations of stigma. This foundation of trust leads to the pivotal moment of Screening at free, accessible camps, where advanced yet compassionate technology, like AI-powered Niramai thermal imaging for breast cancer, VIA for cervical cancer, and and Visual Oral Inspection (VOI) for oral cancer, serves as a gentle, dignified touch to uncover what the eye cannot see. But the true depth of this promise is realized in the third pillar: Patient Navigation. No one is left to walk the terrifying path alone; a dedicated navigator provides handholding, personalized support, guiding each screen-positive individual through referral, diagnosis, and treatment with unwavering compassion, ensuring they are never lost to fear or a daunting system. By weaving together grassroots empathy and pioneering innovation, this initiative doesn’t just bridge a healthcare gap, it mends the human spirit, transforming isolation into solidarity and fear into fearless hope.
Mr. M V S Murthy, Chief Marketing Officer, Federal Bank said, Cancer affects not just individuals, but entire families and communities. While it is a serious illness, there is real hope when it is detected early and treated in time. Our ethos, ‘Rishta Aap Se Hai. Sirf Aap Se Nahi,’ comes alive in Alwar today. At Federal Bank, with Sanjeevani, we are committed to bridging critical healthcare gaps with innovation, compassion, and care for India’s underserved rural communities. We have witnessed the courage of thousands who have been screened. Now, from these villages of Alwar, we aim to hold the hands of thousands more, ensuring that the burden of cancer is never carried alone. By easing barriers of cost, distance, and stigma, we strive to ensure dignity in care. This is the deepest expression of our care.
Ms. Mridu Gupta, Founder and CEO, CAPED, said the true battle against cancer in India is fought not in clinics, but in the beliefs and homes of our rural communities. Today, we are not just launching an initiative here; we are answering a silent prayer. In the eyes of the women we meet, we see the fear of a disease they dare not name. Our trained ASHA workers, women from their own community, now hold their hands and tell them, ‘It’s okay to check. We are here for you.’ By combining this human touch with the gentle power of technology like Niramai, we are replacing dread with dignity. We are giving them the gift of time, time to live, to love, and to see their families grow. This is a movement to embed the life-saving habit of prevention into the fabric of these heartlands, ensuring every individual, no matter how remote, has a guided pathway from suspicion to treatment.
Sidharth Saini, Chief Operating Officer, Network18 Studio, said, Sanjeevani in 2025 is our commitment to taking healthcare journalism beyond headlines and deep into India’s hinterlands. By starting in Alwar’s rural communities, we are ensuring that preventive healthcare is not a privilege, but a right accessible to all. For too long, silence and stigma have delayed early detection of cancer in these regions—this initiative breaks that cycle by bringing advanced screenings and trusted local partnerships directly to underserved households. With the support of the ‘Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation’, and ‘Tata Trusts’ as our Knowledge Partner, we are committed to bridging healthcare gaps and guiding families toward timely detection, treatment, and hope. Sanjeevani is not just a campaign; it is a movement to empower communities and save lives across rural India.